Best Pico Fabulous (1972) (2010)

Jewels Catch One started in 1972 as the nations very first gay black disco, but that historical treasure has morphed with the times. The business now devotes the cavernous, three-story wooden structure to different theme nights, like the industrialtechno favorite Das Bunker on Fridays, the offbeat hip-hop/R&B/old-school/house party Club 4067 on Saturdays and the truly odd and wonderfully eccentric alternative karaoke night Ground Control on Mondays, which features a highly eclectic songbook, great $1 tacos and other dishes, and a friendly, interesting group of punky/nerd/bohemian regulars who seem quite welcoming to newcomers. The building, which goes back much further than 1972, once hosted grand parties thrown by Howard Hughes and, decades later, Madonna. Today, it feels like your own private party mansion. 4067 W. Pico, Mid-City. (323) 737-1159, jewelscatchone.com. Adam Gropman